Lipton Yellow Label Intros 'Inspiration' Theme

Coming up with a new marketing theme always requires inspiration. But in the case of Unilever's just-launched global campaign for Lipton Yellow Label, theme also is inspiration.

"A sip of inspiration" is the tagline for the new integrated campaign for the world's largest tea brand, which is launching in more than 20 markets worldwide, including Turkey, Russia, Poland, Chile, Australia and Japan.

The launch television spot features Lalo Schifrin, a composer, conductor and pianist who has created themes for numerous TV shows, including "Starsky and Hutch" and "Mission Impossible."

The latter actually provides the premise for the commercial, which takes the form of a flashback to 1966, showing Schifrin composing at a piano, evolving the score in his mind (complete with orchestra), and emerging -- after a break to sip Lipton Yellow Label -- with the classic "Mission Impossible" theme.

Subtitles at the spot's end read: "Tea sharpens the mind. Lipton Yellow Tea. A sip of inspiration."

Each of the other executions in the new campaign will also focus on dramatizing the process behind a different masterpiece, with a cup of Lipton Yellow Label providing the mental clarity to finish the work, according to DDB, whose Paris unit developed the creative and worked with award-winning director Noam Murro on the launch spot.

The "sharpens the mind" benefit is based on Theanine, a neurologically active amino acid found in black teas (and to a lesser extent, in green teas) that has been shown to help mental clarity, as well as having calming and mood-enhancing effects.

"The brief was to communicate that, due to Theanine, drinking tea helps you think more clearly," explained Nick Bell, DDB global creative director on Unilever. "The 'Sip of Inspiration' idea takes the argument to its logical conclusion and suggests that if you think and therefore work better when drinking tea, it can be a part of getting to much greater thoughts and work."

Print advertising and online/digital efforts will also be key in what Bell terms "a huge, integrated and interactive campaign."